


Don't belong

by SonicTitanic23



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira needs a hug, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23866891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicTitanic23/pseuds/SonicTitanic23
Summary: It's the week before Akira has to move back home, so the Phantom Thieves along with Sae and Sojiro have a small party in LaBlanc. However, a phone call interrupts the party and changes Akira's life forever.
Relationships: Persona 5 Protagonist & Persona 5 Protagonist's Parents, Persona 5 Protagonist & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Sojiro, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 17
Kudos: 125





	Don't belong

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again with another Persona 5 fic. Just to make sure, this will contain spoilers for Persona 5 Royal! If you haven't finished the game, get the hell out now! Don't say I didn't warn you. 
> 
> Also to make another note, this is taking Persona 5 Royals plot, but mixed with regular P5's ending with everyone staying in Tokyo. Not that I didn't like Royal's ending, I really did. But it doesn't work for this fic idea. You guys wouldn't mind if I let that slide right? Anyway, onto the fic!

**Don't Belong**

Was late in the afternoon in Yongen Jaya. Quiet even. Say for the noise coming from within the tiny cafe known as LeBlanc. To any outsider, it would seem that there was some kind of party going on. And they were right, there was. Inside, a group of teenagers were having the time of their lives, as one of their friends was leaving and heading back to the country side next week. What better way to send him off than a going away party.

"Sheesh! You guys are making quite the ruckus. You're lucky today was a slow day, otherwise we wouldn't be having this party." said Sojiro, the owner of the cafe. "Even then, I probably would have closed up early anyhow."

"Oh come on Soji! You know you have a soft spot for old Akira!" said Futaba. "You know you're gonna miss him once he's gone!"

"I'll miss him alright. I'll miss him closing the shop for me." he responded with a knowing smirk across his face.

"Great to know you'll miss my company Boss." joked Akira while taking a bite out of the cake that was given to him. "Trust you Ann to pick out the best cakes ever made."

"Ain't got a sweet tooth for nothing!" she said in response. "I knew I had to get the perfect cake, just for this party!"

"I must say, it's rather delicious. The sweetness of the cake is not too much, yet not too little. The perfect balance." said Yusuke. "I could capture this cakes form in a picture, I can see it being admired like the wonder it is."

"You're a wonder that's for damn sure." said Ryuji, scratching his neck in confusion. "All I know is the cake is damn good."

"I wouldn't mind taking some home after the party if any is left over. If that's okay with you Ann." said Haru, her face covered in the cake which was odd for the normally neat and tidy teen.

"I would like some to take home too. My sis and I can share some, right sis?" said Makoto, looking at her older sister, who as having her own share.

"It's a good thing Ann got more than one." she commented on the fact that there was two of the cakes. "You need to tell us where you got it. I may consider going there whenever a cake is needed."

"Maybe you should get it when you become a defense attorney Niijima-San." said Sumire, holding onto Akira's hand. They two of them came out as a couple two the group not too long ago. Of course they had their full support, despite the teasing from Futaba from time to time.

"Ooooh that's a good idea! Guess that's another party on the table when it happens!" said Ann, already excited for the day it happens.

"Any excuse for a party eh?" said Sojiro, who was standing at the door, smoking so none of the smoke got in the cafe. "Just don't bring it here alright. Think this place has seen enough parties as it is."

"Eh, doesn't matter for now. Let's turn on some music!" said Ryuji, getting his phone out and started blasting his tunes. The group were surprised he picked a peppy sounding song, considering his outward appearance as a menace. Meanwhile, Morgana hopped off one of the chairs and went onto the table.

"Hmph, bet if I was still a human I would have amazing dance skills." he said, looking proud. "I would be so amazing, Lady Ann would fall from me within seconds!"

"You say something Morgana?!" shouted Ann, not paying attention due to the music.

"Uh...um....just....um.." he trailed off. Akira couldn't help but chuckle at the situation, while Haru picked up the poor cat and started rocking him like she was dancing to the music.

"Poor guy, won't give up trying to get with her." he said, looking at Sumire. "Guess I could count myself lucky I found you just before I left huh?" Sumire looked at her boyfriend and started to blush.

"Wah! Don't say things like that without warning me!" she said, pouting which earned another chuckle from him. She didn't pout for long though, as a smile grew across her face. "I can say the same. Without you're help, I don't think I would ever be the person I am today. Literately!" she said in a joking matter. "Still, I can't thank you enough Akira." She moved closer to him and kissed him, to which he didn't hesitate to kiss back. They would have gone on longer, if it wasn't for the group of people staring at them.

"Oh don't mind us! We just thought it was cute." said Haru, trying her best to not embarrass the couple. Though by the growing red on their faces, it clearly didn't help out.

"Dance with me Inari!" shouted Futaba, grabbing a hold of the tall teen's arm.

"W-W-Wait! Don't pull me!" he shouted as he tumbled over Makoto trying to get out.

"Futaba! Be careful!" she shouted as she tried to get up. Sae and Sojiro looked on and laughed at the sight.

"To think these teenagers took on a God." Sae said with a look up pride on her face. "Amazing how different, yet similar they all are."

"Guess "don't judge a book by it's cover" is true after all." said Sojiro, closing the door now that he was finish smoking. The cafe was lively as ever, the music continued to play loudly for a while before the next song came on. Suddenly, a phone started ringing.

"Ryuji! Turn it down!" shouted Ann, to which he did so. The ringing was coming from Akira, who took out his phone and looked at who was calling at this time. His eyes widened behind his glasses.

".....it's my mom." he said, his voice sounding low. The group was silent. Akira never brought up his parents much, if ever. They were a complete mystery to them. "Wonder what she wants? I haven't heard from them all year. Why now?" he asked out loud.

"No use questioning it man. Answer it!" said Ryuji, sounding way too enthusiastic.

"Shh!" said Makoto, giving the teen a light punch in the arm. Akira shrugged and answered.

"H-Hey Mom!" he said, trying to sound happy. "How's it been?"

" _Akira? Surprised you even picked up._ " said his mother on the end of the phone. The group couldn't fully hear her, despite how quiet it was. 

"I mean....you haven't called me since I left. Same for Dad."

" _Honestly, why would we call you after what you did?_ " she said coldly. " _Just because a year has passed doesn't mean we haven't forgotten. That's not gonna change anything._ "

"B-B-But I was cleared from it!" he tried to defend himself. "I went to trial and all! The man who sued me even admitted he falsely accused me! Surely you heard about it all the way there Mom."

" _I don't care WHAT happened Akira. You have brought shame on this family. Shame that we had to deal with ever since you went to jail!_ " shouted his mother to the point the group heard it. " _Do you honestly think you can just expect all of that to be washed away like nothing? DO YOU?!"_

"N-No. But...." Akira was struggling to speak as the group looked on in worry. They never seen their leader like this before. ".....why did you call now? Of all times, why did you call me if I brought shame to our family?!"

" _I've called to tell you that your father and I are moving to another part of Japan. Far away from Takayama._ " she said.

"And you want me to go on the train to our new home?" he asked. "Where we moving?"

 _"You're not coming with us Akira._ " she said. With that, Akira nearly dropped his phone in shock.

"W-What do you mean?" he asked, worried about what she would say.

" _What part of that was confusing to you boy? You're not coming with us._ " Akira started to feel his eyes water, the tears were about to come out at any second.

"B-But what will I do? You can't just do that Mom!" he shouted back, trying to keep himself grounded.

" _Don't you DARE shout at me Akira! As far as we are concerned, you are no longer family. I'm not you're mother!_ " the woman yelled out loud. The group listening didn't know what was going on, but they knew it wasn't anything good by the sound of things. " _As for where you go, I don't care. You're no concern of me. And before you tell me that you're sorry, you probably should have kept you're nose out of other people's business. We are done here. Goodbye Akira."_

"No wait! Mom!" shouted Akira, but the line went dead. Akira looked at his phone, completely speechless. He looked up and saw that everyone was staring at him with worry all over their faces. Even Sojiro and Sae were worried about him. Without a word, Akira moved away from Sumire, out of the booth and headed up stairs into the attic. Everyone in the room was silence, worried to say another word.

".....did anyone catch what was said?" Asked Morgana, who was the first to speak up after the long silence.

"Not really. But it couldn't have been good." said Ryuji, who looked across from where he was sitting to look at the stairs.

"I never seen Akira like that." said Ann. "Even when things were getting hard for us, he never looked like the way he did then."

"....he looked like he was in so much pain. Whatever his mother said to him must have affected him a lot." said Yusuke.

"I can't even begin to imagine what was said to him." Makoto sighed, trying to think of something. "I wanna go up, but I'm worried he'll shut me out."

"Sumire, you should go up there." suggested Futaba.

"A-Are you sure?" she asked. "You guys know him longer than I do, maybe it would be better if one of you go up there instead."

"Sumire, forgive me in saying this, but you are closer to him than any of us." said Haru. "Yes we care about him as much as you do, but he'll surely open up to you faster than us. He trusts you with his heart after all."

"And hey, we'll come up in a bit after you. If he allows it that is." said Morgana. "Just be there for him okay."

".....okay. I'll do it!" said Sumire with determination in her eyes. "I'll be the one to help him, just like he helped me before."

"Be careful okay?" said Sojiro. "Don't want to make him worse than how he feels. Take it slow and steady."

"I would give you a crash course on interrogating, but it's clear that you can help him more than I could." said Sae. With a nod to her and the rest, Sumire made her way up the stairs to confront whatever was facing both her and Akira.

* * *

The air in the attic was tense when Sumire got up there. Gone was the warm, homely feeling she got used to over the short time being with him and in it's place was a cold, dark and foreboding room. Was it always like this? Or was it just the mood making it feel like it? Regardless, she had a mission. She spotted her boyfriend on his bed, staring out the window. She couldn't see him fully due to being turned away, but she knew he was upset. She walked up slowly to the bed and sat down, the bed creaking at the added weight.

"Hey Akira." she asked, trying her best to break the ice. He gave her a quick look before turning back to the window. "Are you okay?" She knew it was a stupid question, of course he wasn't. But she needed to ask regardless. Still no response from him. " _sigh_....I don't know what was said, but your mother sounded really upset. I just want to let you know that I'm here for you. You can lay whatever it is on me, just like I did to you all those times before. It's my turn to help you." she said, making it clear that she did want to help, while also showing she wasn't moving at all.

"It's nothing." he said, his voice nearly cracking.

"It clearly is something Akira." she said with a stern voice. "Please, do just hide this way. Not after everything we have been through. I want to help you!"

"There's nothing you can do!" he shouted at her, looking at her dead in the eyes. She flinched at his sudden outburst and immediately he felt guilty. "....I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to snap at you." he said, his voice sounding so small.

"Hey." she said, getting closer and started to wrap her arms around his waste. "It's okay, you didn't mean to do it." Now that she opened him up, it was time for the question. ".....what did your mom want? Take your time."

"....my mom called about her and my dad moving to a new town." he said, taking a deep but shaky breath. "....and they don't want me to come."

"W-What?" his girlfriend said, her hand now covering her mouth. "What do you mean?"

"They disowned me." he said, his voice sounding so far away. "She said that she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Oh my God....Akira." Sumire didn't know what to do or say. She was completely speechless. The only thing she could do was tighten her hug around him in a vain hope to comfort him.

"They said that I brought "shame" onto the family because of what happened." he explained, his voice getting more and more strained by the second. "Even after getting my name cleared, the confession from Shido AND the woman who was there that night, they still don't want me near them anymore." Tears started to fall, the weight of his situation now hit him like a truck. "I have no home to go to anymore. When I go back....I'll be on my own. I doubt anyone will welcome me back if my family moved out." His breathing started to get faster, he was on the verge of panicking.

"Akira....it's okay. Take deep breaths." Sumire said as she lay his head on her chest. "Listen to my breathing and try to calm down." He tried his hardest, but it was a struggle for a while. Over the course of two minutes, his breathing finally calmed down. "That's it, you're doing good." she said, giving him praise.

"I don't know what to do Sumire." he confessed. "I have no plans. I have to go back home to report to the police about my probation. I don't have the money to travel back from Takayama to Tokyo, let alone have the money for an apartment or any from of place to say." With one more deep shaky breath, he let out something that shook Sumire to her very core. "I don't belong anywhere anymore." Sumire couldn't help it, the tears starting to fall from her too. To think Akira, her boyfriend, the man who saved the world two times in a row, the man who thought her to be herself and helped so many others feels like he doesn't belong. She gripped the fabric of her skirt and stood up from the bed.

"You're wrong!" she shouted, catching Akira of guard. "You belong somewhere! You belong here!" she said with as much conviction as she could. "You helped so many people that I don't doubt they'd be on your side to help you! The team is downstairs, and I'm sure they would jump at the chance to help you without a second thought."

"But what can they do? We are just kids Sumire." he said, sounding very small.

"That's not the Akira I know." she responded, making him look up at her. "The Akira I know would tackle this just like when you were Joker. I know you can do it. And I'll be at your side every step of the way. All of us will."

".....thank you Sumire." he said, sitting up from the bed. "I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I love you too." she said, going up to him and hugging him for dear life. "You think you're ready to tell the others?"

"No." he confessed. "But I got to. No better time like the present."

"Yeah. Just take your time. If you feel like you need a break, don't hesitate." she said. He nodded and the two left the attic and headed down the stairs to explain everything to the team.

* * *

After a long talk with a lot of brief pauses, to say the atmosphere was heavy is an understatement. Everyone remained silent throughout Akira's situation, but their faces and actions showed more than what needed to be said. Ryuji and Ann were visibly pissed, Yusuke had a look of pity, Futaba looked beyond upset, Makoto and Haru had nothing but concern and Morgana jumped onto Akira's shoulder as some form of comfort. Sojiro and Sae on the other hand kept their poker faces on, but it was clear they have somethings to say.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN!?" shouted Ryuji, slamming the table. "Are you for real?! How shitty can you're parents get?!"

"They don't call you for a year, and then out of the blue they tell you that you aren't in the family anymore?!" said Ann. "That's complete bullshit!"

"And after everything we done to clear your name too." said Morgana. "You can't seem to catch a break can you?"

"Morgana!" scolded Makoto. "You shouldn't say that. But....unfortunately you're right."

"It's like everything was piled onto you at once. I understand that feeling all too well myself." said Haru, thinking about how bad of a hand she was dealt with too.

"There must be something we can do." said Yusuke. "We can just simply let our leader be homeless, not after everything he has done for us."

"But what can we do?" asked Ryuji. "Even if we put money together, I doubt he'd take it, right leader?"

"Got it in one Ryuji." said Akira, jokingly. "Look guys, I'm sure I can figure something out in time. A few days on my own will be fine." he said, sounding like he was accepting his situation. Futaba, who remained quiet throughout all of it, stood up.

"Why don't you stay with me and Sojiro?" she suggested. Everyone in the room looked at her and felt stupid.

"OH YEAH!" shouted Ryuji. "I mean you lived hear for the last year, it wouldn't be that out of place!"

"But...." said Makoto, trying to calm the situation down. "Even if he does stay, it needs to be done legally."

"She's right." said Ann. "Knowing how much his parents are assholes, they'd attempt to sue anyone who took him in without any legal binding."

"This truly is a troubling situation." said Yusuke, feeling as though nothing could be done. Wasn't until the group of teens heard the sound of laughter coming from the bar. They looked over to see Sojiro and Sae with smiles across their faces.

"I'm glad you all are thinking about this logically, but there's no need to worry." said Sae. A look of confusion was across their faces and she couldn't help but laugh even more. "While it may not be my area, I know people who can look into this situation and have everything taken care of no problems. That's if Sojiro is willing to take him in."

"Heh, it would be my pleasure." he said with a smile on his face. Akira looked at the man, his eyes wide in shock from the man's honesty.

"You're serous?" he asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"You honestly think I would let you be on your own? Who knows what trouble you would make without a watchful eye on you." he said, jokingly of course. "It's more than that kid. You came here because someone knew your family. I was expecting some troublemaker who I'd have to throw out within a months time. But what I got instead was a tough, snarky, brave young man who stood up for the little guy, and helped me mend my family."

"Sojiro...." said Futaba, pride and happiness in her voice.

"I would be stupid enough to not help you out. I told you when we were in the church that I would help you, as family. And as embarrassing as it may sound, I would be proud and honored to call you a son." Akira had to grab onto Sumire for support from that revelation. Everyone in the room seemed to be happy and full of support. Futaba got out from the booth and ran to Akira, pulling him into a hug. This was followed by the rest of the group, all cuddled up into one big hug pile, with the adults looking on, smiling.

"Thank you....thank you all so much." said Akira, tears of happiness falling from his face. Sumire moved his face to hers and kissed him again.

"Told you they would help you out." she said with a wink.

"I should never doubt you again." he said, laughing with the others. Ann got out of the hug and stood in the middle of the cafe.

"You know what this means right? Another party is in order!" she shouted, with the group all agreeing.

"Sheesh! What did I say about the parties!?" shouted Sojiro, but he wasn't serous at all.

"Ah let them have their fun. Besides, looks like we have a lot of work to do in the morning." said Sae. "Need to get in contact with people that can help out, somehow get his parents involved and that's gonna be a pain knowing them."

"Not to mention he needs to report to the police in his hometown about the parole regardless, and there's his school to worry about." said Sojiro. "Though I can't see him changing that. Suppose we'll discuss it in the morning. Right now, I need to get over the fact that I have a son now. Never thought it would happen in a million years."

"Knowing this group, stranger things have happened." said Sae, a look of fondness for the group on her face. The party went on for the whole night until the final trains were about to leave. Just before Sojiro was about to head out himself, Sumire remained in the cafe.

"Um....mind if I stay for the night?" she asked both Akira and Sojiro.

"I would be happy if you did." said Akira, of course he would say that.

"I don't mind either." said Sojiro. "Just don't go making babies. I just got a son, I don't need grand kids in my life yet." he said with a bit of snark in his voice, causing the teens to blush and unable to response. He laughed as he closed the door to the cafe and went home.

"Thank you so much Sumire." said Akira. "Thanks for being in my corner."

"You were there for me all those times, only fair I was there for you. Now, shall we?" she said, holding onto his hand as the two made their way up to the attic. They spent a quiet night together, knowing that the morning was gonna be the start of something familiar, yet new at the same time. Whatever happens, they would face it together as a couple, as a team and as a family

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Well how was that? Hopefully it came out good. Been thinking about it for a while even before Royal came out, but never managed to do it until now. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next fic. Cheerio!


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